Reboot: How SaaS Platforms Will Transform The Role Of IT

By
Mike Smith

March 29, 2017

Estimated read time: 3 minutes, 19 seconds

Few professionals understand the meaning of disruption better than the folks over at tech support. Smart devices, SaaS platforms, hardware abstraction, IoT, and the cloud are turning IT departments everywhere on their heads.

Tech-savvy users and smarter computers are making IT professionals wonder if job extinction is one or two innovations away. But it isn’t all bad news. In fact, opportunities to differentiate have never been better for those in the tech arena.

IT Pros Have Nothing To Fear In An “As-A-Service” World

The rise of “as-a-service” business technology is reinventing networks as we know them. As such, IT support is becoming more specialized as businesses adopt new technologies. This might fragment the traditional IT department, however, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Application experts, focused on specific business areas, will emerge to become star players. Since SaaS platforms take care of much of the deployment and maintenance legwork, in-house IT will be freed from manual installations and software upkeep.

This development is a positive one as in-house teams shift their focus to adding value to the business. Maintenance and support tasks made little contribution towards giving the business an edge. With in-house systems moving to cloud environments, those functions are no longer a top priority.

On an enterprise level, massive application deployments will become standardized to the level of approving software licenses and having SaaS companies do the rest. This will make large IT organizations within enterprises increasingly lean. One-man outfits in small-to-medium-sized business will see their daily routines consisting of managing service providers tasked with provisioning operational IT. This will free them up to research new technologies that add value to their business.

No More Fires To Put Out

Workforce mobility, systems integration, and business agility have become key performance areas for modern IT pros. By having to commit fewer hours to maintenance tasks, focus is shifting to delivering strategic business value.

Let’s take a closer look at a few of these areas in-house tech teams will take center-stage.

Security: Demand for security specialization will intensify as companies adopt cloud-hosted infrastructure. A solid security apparatus is central to making sure information assets are safe. In fact, 2017 will see an increased demand for security specialists as companies migrate their information assets to cloud-hosted systems.

Mobile Integration: Mobile technology is revolutionizing the way we do business. Business and user demand for more flexibility from IT will see this trend continue and evolve. By 2019, we can expect to see 2.5 billion online smart devices worldwide. Integrating mobile technology into business ecosystems will become a discipline on its own.

Analytics: The opportunities in big data are driving demand for data specialists. In reality, every business unit is becoming more data and technology dependent. Management teams are looking for more collaborative working relationships with data specialists for business insights. We’re already seeing the cross-pollination of roles between CIOs, CMOs, and Sales Execs as digital expertise becomes the new differentiator.

App Specialization: From eCommerce solutions to team productivity platforms: apps will need specialist knowledge to unlock their value. Instead of supporting software, IT will be expected to empower users in the usage of new business applications. Also, companies will look to new ways of application deployment. In-house development, for example, is becoming commonplace as businesses look for customizable solutions.

Companies Will Uncover Far More Value In The IT Of Tomorrow

A more proactive and dynamic IT will result in more empowered workforces. While SaaS platforms are transforming the face of business, this by no means signals the extinction of IT. However, it does create opportunities for forward thinkers to differentiate themselves.

At FastSpring, we’re excited about where technology is taking us. That’s why we’re invested in building solutions that meet the demands of a changing globe. Our digital commerce platform is helping web developer companies sell their products, subscriptions, and services to global audiences through technology that brings people closer together. To learn more about how we can help transform your business, contact us today.

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